Things that Matter

Yesterday, being Thanksgiving, I decided to make a list of things for which I was thankful, just to stay in the spirit of giving thanks. I mean, I had already watched two football games, I figured I should carry out some other traditions.  It was a fairly generic list (family, friends, God's provision, etc) But, eventually, I did put some serious thought into it.  I realize that in someways, it was a type of exit interview for this trip. (I can hardly believe that I only have two short weeks left.)

  "So that was cool or whatever," said my soul as I picked up the Bible.  I'm currently reading through Romans, and last night I was reading chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 3 verse 23 is pretty familiar, but 3:24 hit me like a ton of bricks, "...being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"  I said, "Wow, really, Will? You just wrote a list of 16 things you were truly thankful for and not once did you mention your salvation."  To be honest, I was ashamed of myself. 

  These last several days I have been so obsessed with pondering life, love, legends, and lands far away, that I had let the greatest gift slide into my peripheral vision.  I needed to be put in my place spiritually, taken down from my high horse where I think that I am the only person in the world.  In the grand scheme of things, how important is what I do next year? In light of eternity, am I doing things that matter?
  Ladies and gentlemen, we are only about 35 days from the year 2012.  I have no idea what that year may hold, and in many ways, it does not really matter, my eternity is secure. 

 Is yours?

Life on the Edge

  My friends Ronae and Chrs wanted to visit the slums of Buenos Aires.  They were kind of determined to go but had run into some dificulties because Argentines don´t do that kind of thing.  Of course, I said I would help them.  We knew it was dangerous because everyone said it was.  But, we were not detered.  Taking my advice, Ronae asked a friend from church what if perhaps he could help us.  Within a few days, we had a date to go the most dangerous slum (villa in Spanish) of Buenos Aires.
   The guy we asked has a been a pastor/missionary for many years, and I figured that he would have some contact or something on the inside.  When we met up with him, we found out that he had never darkened the inside of the slums.  (Insert comforting feelings.)  So he asked around about the safety of this area, and a polieman told him, "It´s your [censored]"  (That was encouraging...).
  So, we had one Latin American and 5 Yankees taking a merry trip to one of the most dangerous places in Buenos Aires, don´t worry, we left our valuables at home.  Originally, we weren´t going to go in, just walk around the edges, but, as usual, curiousity prevails.
   We were on the outskirts of the villa, and our friend asked a man walking by if he knew about a church anywhere.  This guy lead us to the church several blocks away. I was amazed by the beauty of the church on the inside.  Outside was the slums, but on the inside was a really nice space: new tile on the floor, projectors, laptops, instruments, and sound systems.  Granted, the other half the auditorium was not finished and still had a dirt floor, but the half that was done looked great.  The people were very nice and told us that they recieved no government help, and that the building was built and paid for by the people of the church, little by little.  They invited us to the prayer meeting that night, but we were not going to stick around until dark.  (We may be dumb enough to go to the slums, but we had no intention of being there without our friend the daylight). 
  We continued a little ways to a big open area.  It was a paved soccer court where about 16 or so guys were playing soccer.  Of course, they all had some kind of jersey, I saw a Barcelona one, and there were other European teams represented.  There were also a few volleyball nets with people playing.  It was as if we were in world inside the world.  This community seemed to have nothing to do with the train station 1/4 mile away, or highway only 70 feet above us. 
   The little house stacked on top of each other, each person with their own life.  It was charming, in its own little way.  People selling grilled meat on the street, occasional cars trying to get through the on the narrow street.  Most people think I´m crazy when I give this description, and maybe I just wear rose-colored glasses.  But, I just get tired of people talking so terribly about these places, not to mention the judgemental attitude toward me, when I tell them were I went.  A lot of believers forget that there are real people there with real needs for Christ.  All they is a place where two squard cars have to accompany an ambulance in an emergency.  I´m not trying to judge, but don´t think that I´m not tempted.
  Don´t take this the wrong way, I´m not trying to minimize the danger or the reality of life. But sometimes, as believers; I think that we need to let that stuff go in order to focus on what really matters.  

My Upbringing

  I talk quite a bit formative years, and those of you who have spent a lot of time around me hear "when I was raised" several times in a conversation.  Part of the reason for this is that the older I get, the more I realize how handy the things that I have learned are.  It makes me very thankful for my parents and other role models that I have had in my life.  But, more importantly, it is a blessing to look back and see that God clearly has had a plan for my life. I remember times that I thought how much better my life would have been had certain things not happened.  (I've been known to contemplate my hypothetical life without Mexico in my past, or without the leaving of Mexico, and as one can imagine, the possibilities are close to endless.)
   No matter what my feelings may be at any given time, I know that I can rest in His perfect plan.  If I were the begin to list the miracles that God performs in my life, I wouldn't have time to finish.  There is no way that I would have gotten to were I am now without the intricate past that God has been weaving for the past 19 or so years.  And that's just my life, I don't know your story.  Grace College's theme last year was "Authored" referring to God's role in our lives.  I am blown away by what has been/is being written in His story that just happens to include me.
  I owe my formation to the Lord and to all the people that He has used along the way.  None of my plans could ever add up what the Lord has for me.

"All the doors that I had to close

All the things I knew but I didn't know

I thank God for all I've missed, 

Cuz it led me here to this." 

- Darius Rucker 

(this maybe a love song, but it still fits.)

 Psalm 143:5-6:
 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
 I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.
                         Selah.

A Changed Life

  Today, I'm going to tell you a story about a friend of mine: his name is David Monteros.

 David was born in the province of Chubut, Argentina on January 29th, 1991.  Growing up, he had a fairly normal life, as normal as pastor's kid's life can be.  He enjoyed a very unified family life.  Talking to David, he's not really sure if he was saved as a child.  He definitely "prayed the prayer," but he's not sure if his life was changed by the Holy Spirit.  He told me that he really doesn't care if he was saved then or not, I'll tell you why in a minute.
   As a young boy, David didn't have many friends, just a couple of close ones that somehow or another let him down.  Some moved away, some betrayed him.  He had a lot of anger towards those kids, which became a lot of anger in general.  As far as his relationship with God was concerned, it was non-existent.  He was the pastor's son and had to be a good kid.  So he was.
   So, he lived a lie for most of his life.  Last year, things were starting to get bad.  He felt empty, and he knew that he needed to change.  He and his sister had moved away from home to go to school in Buenos Aires.  He told me that he was in a deep state of depression and he literal wept everyday on his bed because he was so miserable, and he hated God.  He realized that material possessions weren't filling up the emptiness in his heart.
  He had so much anger harbored in his heart against the church and just about everyone.  It was summer break of 2011 (in Argentina that's in January), and David was tired of faking a spiritually healthy life.  He was ready to take of his mask. So, while at home, he allowed his sin to show.  He was rude to his parents and was constantly anger and snapping and people. But, he was relieved to let out all of that bottled-up rage.  One time, he was bragging to mother how he had manipulated a situation to hurt some people and how much he enjoyed it.  She looked at him and said, "That's straight from the devil."   Needless to say, he was impacted by that.
  In that same time period, his dad told him that he needed to fix his problems.  He had seen the pain that David was experiencing, and he asked his son for forgiveness in the ways that he had hurt him.  He told him that he need to pray.  So, he began to pray, and he began to forgive all the people that had hurt him in his life.  Then, he began to realize that he needed to be forgiven too. He realized that his sin had killed Christ, but somehow He was offering him a second chance.  And he took it.  (That's why he isn't concerned if he was saved as a child or not).
  He knew he needed a change, and the Lord changed his life. He began to read the Word and to pray that week, but he didn't understand anything.  It was almost a week before the Spirit began to open his eyes to the wonderful things in the Word of God.
   Since then, he has been a new man.  The Lord has blessed him in incredible ways.  Specifically, he has seen God answer a ton of prayers, sometimes instantly.  I could tell you dozens of stories in which he asked for friends, funds, fellowship, etc, and God answered.  I'm going to tell you one:
  Last month, God put a burden in his heart for his cousin who isn't saved.  While he was still praying for an opportunity to witness to her alone, he received a text message.  It was from his cousin saying that she was headed over! No one else was home, and David was able to tell her about the change that God had made in his life. These kinds of miracles have become almost commonplace in his life.

  Since David and I have become friends, he has been nothing but an encouragement to me.  His faith is impressive and his joy in undeniable.  He has been a gift straight from God to my life and to so many others.
 

Politically Speaking

  As some of you may know, today is the day that Argentina decided on her president.  The current president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, received about 53% of the votes, for her reelection.  (The next closest candidate was Hermes Binner with 17%.)

  Since the 1950s, Argentina has been a country that immensely favors populism.  I have often pondered the differences the politics of Latin American leaders versus those of North American leaders.  I often think, Don't they see what this is doing?  By playing Robin Hood, you're hurting your own economy.  (Recently, I have realized that Robin Hood was, indeed, a communist).  "Rob from the rich to feed the poor."  If that's not wealth redistribution, I don't know what is.    The people here in Argentina expect the government to keep raising the laborers' salaries.  Of course, this keeps the inflation moving in a steady upward direction.  A qualification for a good administration is good wealth distribution.  (If one were to say that last sentence in the States, someone might shoot you.

But let's get to the crux of the matter: there is a slight flaw with the Robin Hood illustration.  Although he steals from the rich, he actually takes from Prince John who was taxing the living daylights out of the people of Nottingham.  That is to say, the government is the problem, not the rich people. 

While listening to Cristina's speech and the aftermath, I figured out a fundamental difference in these political systems.  This difference is the enemy.  The Founding Fathers of the United States created a Constitution that protected the people from, what?  That's right kids! Big Government. 

 Thomas Jefferson said, "A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a  government big enough to take away everything that you have...."   

Ben Franklin is attributed to having said, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

Juan Domingo Perón (Argentina's greatest political leader) was known for having told the President of Chile that he needed to give to the workers and keep on giving to them and 

keep on giving to them and when he felt like he had given them enough, that he should give them some more.  

Note: I'm not trying to take away from Perón's work as it relates to human rights and working conditions.  But, he hurt the nation because he killed his/its source of income, the agricultural industry.  When you tax a sector til it no longer wants to produce, you're not allowed to ask, "What's wrong?"

Listening to the results of tonight's election, I heard someone say on TV that this administration will continue to protect Argentina from privatization.  (In the '90s, President Menem sold a lot of public industries to private companies, and he is a very hated individual). 

  In the US of A, I don't think that general sentiment of government owned industries is, "It belongs to all of us."  But, that could also be a difference of a more individualist society versus a collective society.  

I don't really know what the moral of the story is, but I think that perhaps a book on culture differences may be in order.  

 

General Update

  Hello, everyone!
It's been quite some time since I've written on the blog.  The inspiration tank has been empty, and I'm not really sure why. Consequently I have decided just talk a little bit about life in general.
  School is going well.  We recently passed the midpoint of our semester and got all of those midterms out of the way.  This week and next were have been/are pretty busy for me because I have 4 presentations.  Wednesday and Thursday this week and Thursday and Friday next week.  (Mental math would tell the reader that I have completed 2 and have 2 more.)
   The church is also doing well.  I'm currently playing the congas with the worship team.  Our pastor is hoping to make it to Argentina in early November.  We're really praying that he can come soon.  The church has been without a pastor for much too long.
   As some of you know, I'm playing basketball with the university team.  It's pretty rag-tag and informal, but I enjoy it.
  Saturday we're going, as a church, to a different church that's basically in the slums.  A member of our church used to pastor there.  I'm looking forward to it, and the whole church says that it's always a great trip.  (I'm going to miss a basketball game, but that's the way things go).
  As Hulu doesn't work outside of the US, I have had to find other ways to watch Psych.  My cousin Sarah gave me a link that is working thus far.
  I'm not really sure what else is of relevance...  God is always good, but you probably know that. :)
Later,
Will

The Almighty Dollar

  Most Americans don't have to worry about currency.  In the US, we have one form of money: Greenbacks.  No drama, no problems.  My Econ prof brought up some very interesting points today in class.  He was talking about the general mistrust of the peso here in Argentina.  In Argentina, it began in the late fifties when the devaluing of the peso became common and inflation was at %100 annually.  And today, even the people that recycle cardboard for a living know the exchange rate between the Argentine peso and the US dollar. 
  He made the point that Argentina has two currencies.  I was told once that any amount that was 4 digits or more in pesos would be listed in dollars. And it's really true, small purchases are the only things that are handled in pesos.  All properties, vacation packages, and luxury cars are sold in dollars.
 This same professor recently bought a house in a high-end neighborhood of Buenos Aires. He never mentioned the exact price, but in one example, he used the term $300,000 USD.  And judging by the area of town, a two-story house is worth at least that much.  It was a very interesting process: In a room in the back of the bank, a notary checked over the contract, all spelled out in pesos. Then, the seller said, "Well, get the dollars."  So, the buyer walked down the hall to the teller and bought the dollars.  (The notary had informed the bank that on that day they would need x amount of dollars, cause he wants to get paid too).  The buyer carries the armful of greenbacks back to the room where another man counts them, under the notary's supervision.  
  Once everything is settled, the seller begins to divide money up into stacks of about $60,000 and gives them to his family members who were with him, mostly women.  They began to hide their money in their garments.  Money secured, the merry little band headed out to the car, which was parked three blocks away.  The buyer (my prof) told us that he felt so bad that he walked with them to the car, just for safety's sake. 
  He used this story to illustrate the system of two currencies. Then, asked us (a class of mostly Americans) what was written on our money.  Of course, the Portuguese student answers, "In God We Trust." The other is "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private."  He told us that in the States, you can't refuse someone who wants to pay you in dollars.  U.S. greenbacks are good for any kind of payment.  In Argentina you have the phrase "Traeme verde" - "Bring me green."  Pesos are often rejected.  
  Dollars is the currency of savings in Argentina, and most developing countries.  For example China's federal reserve is all in dollars, (about 20% of our GNP).  Brazil and Russia save in dollars too.  The whole world is looking for green. This gives strength to the States because they can keep printing money.
   The interesting thing is that even though it would seem to make more sense to save in Brazilian Reals or Chinese Yen (currencies of fast growing nations), the world continues to, overall, trust the dollar.  They always have. 
  All of this makes me wonder: What happens if the US is brought to a point where the government feels the need to devalue the currency?  I kinda feel like the whole world would be in trouble.  
But, I don't really know anything.